--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Depression is awful beyond words or…" description: "\"“Depression is awful beyond words or sounds or images...it bleeds relationships through suspicion, lack of confidence and self-respect, the inability t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0a/kay-redfield-jamison-1826_confidence_depression-is-awful-beyond-words-or-soun_2678203.jpg" --- # Depression is awful beyond words or sounds or images...it… ![“Depression is awful beyond words or sounds or images...it bleeds relationships through suspicion, lack of confidence and self-respect, the inability to enjoy life, to walk or talk or think normally, the exhaustion, the night terrors, the day terrors. There is nothing good to be said for it except…” quote by Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0a/kay-redfield-jamison-1826_confidence_depression-is-awful-beyond-words-or-soun_2678203.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0a/kay-redfield-jamison-1826_confidence_depression-is-awful-beyond-words-or-soun_2678203.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0a/kay-redfield-jamison-1826_confidence_depression-is-awful-beyond-words-or-soun_2678203.jpg) > ““Depression is awful beyond words or sounds or images...it bleeds relationships through suspicion, lack of confidence and self-respect, the inability to enjoy life, to walk or talk or think normally, the exhaustion, the night terrors, the day terrors. There is nothing good to be said for it except that it gives you the experience of how it must be to be old, to be old and sick, to be dying; to be slow of mind; to be lacking in grace, polish and coordination; to be ugly; to have no belief in the possibilities of life, the pleasures of sex, the exquisiteness of music or the ability to make yourself and others laugh.”” [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Depression overwhelms mental and physical health, eroding relationships and joy, yet offers a stark perspective on aging and vulnerability. **In simple terms:** Depression destroys life but shows aging’s harshness. Key Takeaway Seek help; recognize its depth. Themes mental health despair aging Mood somber empathetic Type psychological philosophical When to use this quote - therapy - support groups - self‑care - creative expression Key Concepts psychology existential suffering Questions to Reflect On - What does this view reveal about resilience? - How can we balance pain with hope? A Different Perspective May romanticize suffering; not all experience same symptoms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Enjoy life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy-life/) [Lack of confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lack-of-confidence/) [Night terrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night-terrors/) ## Related quotes > [How many times had those awful words - "I know what I'm doing" - been uttered throughout history as prelude to disaster?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-buckley/how-many-times-had-those-awful-words-i-know-what-i-m-doing-been/) [Christopher Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-buckley/) > [There is something suspect about our inability to enjoy anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/there-is-something-suspect-about-our-inability-to-enjoy-anything/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [I have an inability to enjoy things, but that's why we're in comedy. If we were happy, we wouldn't be funny, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/i-have-an-inability-to-enjoy-things-but-that-s-why-we-re-in-comedy-if/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [Tell me what you know about night terrors...nothin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-cudi/tell-me-what-you-know-about-night-terrors-nothin/) [Kid Cudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-cudi/) > [Now there's some night terrors that happen in adults. And if it starts as an adult and you've never had them before, then there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/now-there-s-some-night-terrors-that-happen-in-adults-and-if-it-starts/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [“Oh- hey, there," he said. He was shorter than me, pudgy with salt-and-pepper hair that always seemed to be in need of a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/oh-hey-there-he-said-he-was-shorter-than-me-pudgy-with-salt-and/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) > [Every fear, every night terror, every hour I cried for Liev, every fight with Sebastian is registered as a neat white scar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-forrest/every-fear-every-night-terror-every-hour-i-cried-for-liev-every-fight/) [Emma Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-forrest/) > [“Medical Warning: Talk to your doctor before beginning a John Locke series, as studies have shown them to be habit-forming and highly addictive. Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/medical-warning-talk-to-your-doctor-before-beginning-a-john-locke/) [John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/) > [“And that is how someone who is unusally susceptible to nightmares, night terrors, the Creeps, the Willies and the Seeing Things That Aren't Really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/and-that-is-how-someone-who-is-unusally-susceptible-to-nightmares/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [Sleep resistance, bouts of insomnia, nightmares, night terrors, crawling into bed with parents in the middle of the night - all these are so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/sleep-resistance-bouts-of-insomnia-nightmares-night-terrors-crawling/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [Tell me what u know about dreamin, dreamin, u dont really know about nothing, nothing , tell me what u know about them night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-cudi/tell-me-what-u-know-about-dreamin-dreamin-u-dont-really-know-about/) [Kid Cudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-cudi/) > [I still have night terrors about things happening to my son. The worst things cross your mind when you care so much. I keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/i-still-have-night-terrors-about-things-happening-to-my-son-the-worst/) [Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/) > [Night terrors are very different from nightmares. A lot of people will think they're the same, but they're really not. Night terrors - you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/night-terrors-are-very-different-from-nightmares-a-lot-of-people-will/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [I love this book! Cathy Malkasian's Percy Gloom swirls with echoes of cartoon landscapes from the past and present. You can almost hear Percy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-smith/i-love-this-book-cathy-malkasian-s-percy-gloom-swirls-with-echoes-of/) [Jeff Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-smith/) > [“Terror is an artery. Running unfailing channels of bloodied thoroughfares by dint of the wilds beyond our knowing. Fluctuations and murmurs are audible within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-whitfield/terror-is-an-artery-running-unfailing-channels-of-bloodied/) J.C. Whitfield ## More by Kay Redfield Jamison > [ “...even though \[my psychiatrist\] understood mor than anyone how much I felt I was losing--in energy, vivacity, and originality--by taking medication, he never was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/even-though-my-psychiatrist-understood-mor-than-anyone-how-much-i/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [When people are suicidal, their thinking is paralyzed, their options appear spare or nonexistent, their mood is despairing, and hopelessness permeates their entire mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/when-people-are-suicidal-their-thinking-is-paralyzed-their-options/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [It's more common than not that bipolar illness will start in the teens. One of the reasons I spend a lot of time on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/it-s-more-common-than-not-that-bipolar-illness-will-start-in-the/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [I think that for thousands of years people have made the observation that there are certain kinds of extreme depressive states that seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/i-think-that-for-thousands-of-years-people-have-made-the-observation/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [Every seventeen minutes in America, someone commits suicide. Mostly, I have been impressed by how little value our society puts on saving the lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/every-seventeen-minutes-in-america-someone-commits-suicide-mostly-i/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [Mother, who has an absolute belief that it is not the cards that one is dealt in life, it is how one plays them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/mother-who-has-an-absolute-belief-that-it-is-not-the-cards-that-one/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [“I decided early in graduate school that I needed to do something about my moods. It quickly came down to a choice between seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/i-decided-early-in-graduate-school-that-i-needed-to-do-something/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [When I'm talking about depression, I'm talking about the more severe forms of depression, and I think that conceptualising as a form of grief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/when-i-m-talking-about-depression-i-m-talking-about-the-more-severe/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [An ardent temperament makes one very vulnerable to dreamkillers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/an-ardent-temperament-makes-one-very-vulnerable-to-dreamkillers/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [the intensity, glory, and absolute assuredness if my mind's flight made it very difficult for me to believe once i was better, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/the-intensity-glory-and-absolute-assuredness-if-my-mind-s-flight-made/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [I wish I could explain it so someone could understand it. I'm afraid it's something I can't put into words. There's just this heavy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/i-wish-i-could-explain-it-so-someone-could-understand-it-i-m-afraid/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [Moods are such an essential part of the substance of life, of one's notion of oneself, that even psychotic extremes in mood and behavior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/moods-are-such-an-essential-part-of-the-substance-of-life-of-one-s/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [We expect well-informed treatment for cancer or heart disease; it matters no less for depression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/we-expect-well-informed-treatment-for-cancer-or-heart-disease-it/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [Manic depression distorts moods and thoughts, incites dreadful behaviors, destroys the basis of rational thought, and too often erodes the desire and will to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/manic-depression-distorts-moods-and-thoughts-incites-dreadful/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [People talk about grief as if it's kind of an unremittingly awful thing, and it is. It is painful, but it's a very, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/people-talk-about-grief-as-if-it-s-kind-of-an-unremittingly-awful/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) [Explore all 205 Kay Redfield Jamison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) ## More Confidence quotes > [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [I was just confident my work was good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bunny-yeager/i-was-just-confident-my-work-was-good/) [Bunny Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bunny-yeager/) > [I am confident when I take the penalty otherwise I would pass for somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-fernandes/i-am-confident-when-i-take-the-penalty-otherwise-i-would-pass-for/) [Bruno Fernandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-fernandes/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [My friend made me a leather dress for the MTV awards. It gives you confidence, wearing something you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-deeley/my-friend-made-me-a-leather-dress-for-the-mtv-awards-it-gives-you/) [Cat Deeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-deeley/) > [Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/confidence-comes-from-cutting-yourself-some-slack/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [I would rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-ball/i-would-rather-regret-the-things-that-i-have-done-than-the-things/) [Lucille Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-ball/) > [You want to remain hungry and stay in a good place as a competitor; at the same time, you want to be confident but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-odom/you-want-to-remain-hungry-and-stay-in-a-good-place-as-a-competitor-at/) [Lamar Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-odom/) > [Get to know yourself well enough to not only expect, but also control, your response to the unexpected challenges in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/get-to-know-yourself-well-enough-to-not-only-expect-but-also-control/) Senoraroy > [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I look for someone who has confidence. Also someone whose energetic, cause I'm NOT that energetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-jonas/i-look-for-someone-who-has-confidence-also-someone-whose-energetic/) [Nick Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-jonas/) > [Why shouldn't I be confident? I'm well educated, I can deliver a line, and I have more than three expressions. That's good right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonakshi-sinha/why-shouldn-t-i-be-confident-i-m-well-educated-i-can-deliver-a-line/) [Sonakshi Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonakshi-sinha/) > [I was very confident on the stage, and I stood out in a red gown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-johnson/i-was-very-confident-on-the-stage-and-i-stood-out-in-a-red-gown/) [Nicole Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-johnson/) > [If you go to any nunnery and ask them what the main obstacle is, they'll always say low self-esteem and lack of confidence. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-go-to-any-nunnery-and-ask-them-what-the-main-obstacle-is-they/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) [Browse all 11,290 Confidence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Depression is awful beyond words or sounds or images...it bleeds relationships through suspicion, lack of confidence and self-respect, the inability to enjoy life, to walk or talk or think normally, the exhaustion, the night terrors, the day terrors. 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